Stew Smith, CSCS®

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle, check out his Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive on Military.com. Contact Stew with your comments and questions at stew@stewsmith.com.

Latest Articles

A future sailor and special warfare candidate swims during the Navy’s physical screening test.

Here's a Great Mix to Train for Swim and Calisthenics Tests

Here is a tough workout that we regularly use to gauge swimming conditioning and calisthenics muscle stamina.

Ask Stew: How to Apply a Never-Quit Mindset When Joining the Military

It can take years to acquire the skills necessary for military service, especially if you're looking to serve in a job that...

Set Your Fitness Goals to Become a Military Asset

The standard fitness tests in the military are basically health and wellness tests.

Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs students swim 100 meters with bound hands and feet as part of their first-phase swimming test.

Try This Military Swim Workout to Prepare for Special Ops, Diver or Rescue Swimmer Training

The right preparation can help you make it through the Department of Defense's toughest military swimming and diving courses.

Preparing for the Army's New Fitness Tests: OPAT and ACFT

The Army occupational physical assessment test (OPAT) and Army combat fitness test (ACFT) are looking to create a more well...

Soldiers go through Ranger Course at Fort Benning.

Ask Stew: How Should an Athlete Prepare for Ranger or Special Forces Training?

Most athletes will only determine their weaknesses if they honestly assess themselves by testing the skills required for...

There's Only One Rule for Successful Weight Loss

If you are struggling to lose weight, you know how difficult it can be to cut back on calories without feeling hungry all the...

Take Account of These Health, Wellness and Longevity Considerations After Age 55

As you get older, your body may require different types of activities and intensities.

Ask Stew: How to Prevent Burnout

It is easy to get overwhelmed and burned out when the days start early and the nights end late, with multiple...

Participants at the Tough Mudder obstacle course celebrate crossing the finish line.

So You Have a Big Goal: Now What?

You've created your goal, and now the work begins. The easy part is what you've already done. Day-to-day consistency is what...

Looking for a Fitness Routine Change? Try One of These Options This Year

Now is a great time to make a few changes from the same old workout routine, especially if you are getting bored with it.

U.S. Marines assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Detroit demonstrate warm-up exercises.

Ask Stew: How Long Are Your Warm-Ups?

Warming up and cooling down need to be part of a workout at any age, but they do not have to be a massive time-consuming...

A Week of Fitness Momentum Goes a Long Way

There is something special about one year's end and another year beginning. Both make great times to finish projects and...

A soldier completes a two-mile run during an Army physical fitness test.

Recent Study Suggests that Exercise Might Qualify as Medicine

According to a recent study, those who exercise regularly had significantly less severe Covid symptoms than those who did not...

Ask Stew: Running Workouts to Improve Speed with Rucking and Your Goal Pace

Learning to run longer timed runs faster, like the Marine Corps' three-mile event, takes time, patience and consistent...

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Most Popular Military News

Members of the Supreme Court sit for a group portrait at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Supreme Court Upholds VA Court Decision Not to Review 'Benefit-of-the-Doubt' Evidence in Veterans' Claims

In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court said last week that, while the Department of Veterans Affairs should favor veterans...

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., accompanied by other members of Congress, speaks during a rally against Elon Musk outside the Treasury Department in Washington.

Fired Veterans and VA Employees Would Be Reinstated to Federal Jobs Under Senate Proposal

Department of Veterans Affairs employees and veterans fired from other agencies as part of the Trump administration's...

A fraudulent Medal of Honor was seized by the FBI in 1996 and is pictured on the right, next to a legitimate Medal of Honor.

The Medal of Honor Fraud Case that Took Stolen Valor to the Extreme

H.L.I. Lordship Industries of Long Island, New York, admitted to selling unauthorized versions of the Medal of Honor, the...

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) examinees from Yokota High School take the test at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Hegseth Ban on Travel Forces Closures, Reduced Hours at Military Entrance Exam Sites

Locations set up across the country to give military entrance exams to potential recruits have been forced to close or reduce...

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy speaks about the recent midair collision of an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, at a news conference in Washington.

Route Used by Army Black Hawk During Deadly Collision Was Far Too Risky, Safety Officials Say

Federal crash investigators have said a helicopter route used by an Army Black Hawk for training when it crashed midair with...

U.S. Army trainees assigned to Foxtrot 1st Battalion 34th Infantry Regiment conduct push-ups for corrective training in the barracks on the first day of basic combat training at Fort Jackson, S.C.

The Army Is Losing Nearly One-Quarter of Soldiers in the First 2 Years of Enlistment

The Army is grappling with a staggering attrition rate among newly enlisted troops, even as recent recruiting figures suggest...

Latest Military Videos

NTSB Urges Ban on Some Helicopter Flights at Washington Airport Where 67 People Died

Federal investigators looking for the cause of the January collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter near...

U.S. Resumes Military Aid and Intelligence Sharing as Ukraine Says It Is Open to a 30-Day Ceasefire

The Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine, and Kyiv signaled that it...

Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Attack Yet on Moscow, AP Explains

Senior officials from Ukraine and the United States opened talks Tuesday focused on ending the three-year-long conflict, hours after...

Fuel Tanker Burns Amid Cloud of Black Smoke After North Sea Crash With Cargo Ship

A cargo ship collided with a tanker carrying jet fuel for the US military off eastern England on Monday...

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

Army News

Military Leaders Warn of Risks to Armed Forces' Readiness in Temporary Funding Bill

The vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force said that if they don't get additional funding, they at least...

Thousands of Potential Recruits Could Lose Access to Military Entrance Exam Testing with Program Shuttered

Thousands of potential applicants -- including high school students -- may face challenges in taking the military's entrance...

Navy News

Military Leaders Warn of Risks to Armed Forces' Readiness in Temporary Funding Bill

The vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force said that if they don't get additional funding, they at least...

The Arleigh Burke-class, guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) gets underway from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in preparation for exercise Black Widow 2025.

House's Continuing Resolution Would Provide $1.5 Billion for Extra, Unrequested Warship

The continuing resolution the House passed Tuesday would add more than $1.5 billion to start building a warship that the Navy...

Air Force News

Military Leaders Warn of Risks to Armed Forces' Readiness in Temporary Funding Bill

The vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force said that if they don't get additional funding, they at least...

Airmen and Guardians of the 213th Space Warning Squadron at Clear Space Force Station

Lawmakers File Bills to Create Space National Guard, Taking Trump Up on Promise

The creation of a Space National Guard is getting a groundswell of support from Congress as bipartisan groups of lawmakers...

Space Force News

Lawmakers File Bills to Create Space National Guard, Taking Trump Up on Promise

The creation of a Space National Guard is getting a groundswell of support from Congress as bipartisan groups of lawmakers...

A contractor uses a toner receiver and transmitter to locate wires in preparation of a soil excavation at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex on the island of Maui, Hawaii.

Space Force Says It May Take 7 Years to Clean Up a Fuel Spill Atop a Sacred Hawaii Volcano

The Space Force says environmental remediation efforts that include returning sacred soil back to a volcano in Hawaii after...

Marine Corps News

Military Leaders Warn of Risks to Armed Forces' Readiness in Temporary Funding Bill

The vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force said that if they don't get additional funding, they at least...

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jonathan Coronel, a media operations and assessments officer with II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF), moves a simulated drone game piece during the war game ‘Down Range’ at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

There's a New War Game for 'Nerds with a Drive for Violence.' It's Spreading Across the Marine Corps.

In the war game "Down Range," Marine units can check out "kits" with dice, rules sheets and 3D-printed pieces that resemble...

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard Academy Removes References to 'Climate Change' from Its Curriculum

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security order banning “climate change activities and the use of climate change terminology in...

Law enforcement crew members from USCGC Valiant (WMEC 621) stand in front of interdicted narcotics and engine covers

Coast Guard Offloads More than 6 Tons of Cocaine — Worth $140M — at Miami Beach Port

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter crew offloaded more than 12,000 pounds of narcotics at a Miami Beach port that the agency says is...

Stew Smith, CSCS®

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